Lyric Meaning

Around the early 90’s, Gangsta Rap was having an entire coastal effect in the WC with its popularity. In 1992, OG Bloods and Crips in L.A. signed a truce the day before the outbreak of the Los Angeles riots. The truce, called the Watts Truce for the neighbourhood where it was signed, was facilitated by football legend Jim Brown and members of the West Coast Rap All-Stars. At the barbecue that marked the beginning of the truce, Pac had gang members sign a pact called the “The Code of Thug Life”.

But Kendrick couldn’t care less because his cousin got killed two years later in ‘94 by what we can assume was gang violence. It is unknown what ended the truce, though rumours have long existed that LAPD officers masquerading as gang members were responsible.

2 years after “m.A.A.d City” Lamar made “i”, which is the positive version of this whole issue that Shakur once tried to fix. He feels like he is the modern incarnation of Pac, just without the ties to gang culture. If you look at the cover art, it even signifies a sort of progress made between the two gangs. One of the themes Kendrick explores on To Pimp A Butterfly is black communities overlooking their own differences to unite against greater oppressions like police brutality. In this sense, the precipitating effect of the police beating of Rodney King on the Watts truce is notable; a truce was also made between rival sets in Baltimore in 2015 in response to the murder of Freddie Gray.

This is also an allusion to Menace II Society, where Cain’s cousin gets killed in a car jack. MC Eiht (who is featured on this track), was a main character in Menace II Society.